Since the removal of mandatory prayer in American schools, atheism has been the focus of an increased political and media reaction in the form of fear and smear campaigns. These appeals to emotion have been coming increasing from the politicians such as Monique Davis who stated that "it is dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists"

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Since the removal of mandatory prayer in American schools, atheism has been the focus of an increased political and media reaction in the form of fear and smear campaigns. These appeals to emotion have been coming increasing from politicians such as Monique Davis, who stated that, "It is dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists."

* [[Why are you trying to tear down other people's faith?]]

* [[Why are you trying to tear down other people's faith?]]

* [[Why can't everyone just have their own beliefs?]]

* [[Why can't everyone just have their own beliefs?]]

Revision as of 02:25, 28 December 2009

Contents

Overview

Categories

With the growing rise of "new atheism", non believers have seen an increasing hostility from theist. Common criticisms of atheism and counter-apologetics arguments are made to support the theists position. These usually fall into one of three categories.

Appeals to emotion

Since the removal of mandatory prayer in American schools, atheism has been the focus of an increased political and media reaction in the form of fear and smear campaigns. These appeals to emotion have been coming increasing from politicians such as Monique Davis, who stated that, "It is dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists."

Straw men

Probably the most common argument against atheism and counter-apologetics from the theistic ranks, is straw man depictions of the atheist position. These can range from misrepresentations of evolutions such as leading questions like "if we came from monkeys, how come monkeys are still around today" or assertions that science is as much of a religious faith as Christianity, or misrepresentations about atheism and secular humanism being synonymous with immorality, communism or mass murder.

Appeals to solipsism

Perhaps the most interesting of the three categories is the increasing problem of appeals to solipsism. The idea that we can't know everything (or anything, depending on how far the theist wishes to take it), and thus we can never completely rule god out. Perhaps he's hiding on the other side of Pluto where we just can't see him. This is a classic 'god of the gaps' argument. However, this line of argument would seem to create more questions that it solves. If we take the theists' assertions to their ultimate conclusions, i.e. that "we can't know everything," or that, "we can't know anything for certain," then how can they claim to know anything about their god? How do they know he exists at all?